The long-term goals of this research program are to identify the variables that produce learning and memory deficits as a result of a history of prolonged ethanol consumption; and to identify the specific learning or memory processes affects by prolonged ethanol consumpton. The general strategy is to employ an animal model in which rats are (a) fed an ethanol-Nutriment solution or a period of time, (b) then fed a regular lab chow diet for one month, and finally (c) assessed for learning and memory deficits. To verify the nutritional adequacy of the experimental diet, control subjects are pair-fed an iso-caloric sucrose-Nutriment solution. To control for the large caloric content of the experimental diet, other subjects are fed a regular lab chow diet. Many alcoholics alternate periods of heavy drinking with abstinance (e.g., binge drinkers). The purpose of the proposed research is to assess the effect of a history of intermittent consumption of large quantities of ethanol on learning and memory functioning. The specific aims are to determine the functional relationship between the number of intermittent ethanol drinking episodes and the severity of the resulting learning and memory deficit.